Corsair Obsidian 550d?

The Doc said:
I have not taken mine out of the box yet, but if you google "Corsair 550D Review" you can watch the video of the Corsair rep discussing about/taking apart the chassis and then you be the judge for yourself.
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I think I'm going to wait until March 29th or so and then go ahead and order mine with a will call, even though its quite a drive from what you guys have said about UPS I'm starting to think me picking it up would be a lot safer than letting UPS "handle" it. Oh also I've never will called anything but if I open it in the ware house and find a defect can I have them exchange it on the spot or do I have to wait for an RMA?
 
My case had all the standoffs already installed including a center one which actually has a smaller diameter and raised area that "centers" the mobo. It fits inside the hole in the middle of the mobo.
I didn't need to install any stand offs but they did include 4 more.
 
Hmmm, upon closer inspection, I have seven bags of screws to the user guide's five illustrated types, and it *MAY* be missing the motherboard and/or the HDD/ODD screw.

I still have to wait for parts so I'll reserve judgment until I actually do the build; it may be that the illustrations are wrong or at least not 100% accurate. It's a bit worrying though.
 
Davidion said:
Hmmm, upon closer inspection, I have seven bags of screws to the user guide's five illustrated types, and it *MAY* be missing the motherboard and/or the HDD/ODD screw.

I still have to wait for parts so I'll reserve judgment until I actually do the build; it may be that the illustrations are wrong or at least not 100% accurate. It's a bit worrying though.
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If you could take a photo of the groups of screws you got with your case and what you think is missing, that'd help me track it down. We opened some units here and the accessory kits had everything in them...
 
The Doc said:
I too just read that user review on Newegg, and if he's not a member of this forum then that's even worse news. I need to open my box and see what the status is of my 550D. Redbeard has stated that the early adopters will be taken care of, but he has also stated that spare parts for the 550D's will not be available until at least the end of March. Redbeard, when will review sites begin receiving their 550D samples for review or you will wait to hear about the results of the audit until the company begins shipping out samples?
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I'm pretty sure the newegg review is somebody from this thread. His complaints were word-for-word what somebody posted earlier.
 
Davidion said:
Hmmm, upon closer inspection, I have seven bags of screws to the user guide's five illustrated types, and it *MAY* be missing the motherboard and/or the HDD/ODD screw.
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It's confusing because the parts list only shows 5 types, but I received 7 bags:

1. motherboard standoffs
2. motherboard screws
3. psu screws
4. hdd/odd screws
5, 6. fan screws? (slightly different lengths, but same design)
7. ??? (very long with a short thread)
 
you use the hdd screws to screw in an SSD onto one of those tool-less brackets.
 
Just going by the name in the quick start guide; I only used the HDD screws to attach my SSD. My hard drives fit in the brackets without any screws.
 
Just a quick question - the little side and top panels that cover venting holes are they plastic or metal as the rest of the case?

They look plastic on some photos but just wanted to confirm. Thanks
 
To reiterate what has been said, the left side does rattle, but currently in the process of installing, so, don't know if having wires back there will help or not. Here are my other initial impressions:

1. The back (dorsal) part of the case does seem a little flimsy; had a lot of give when installing the motherboard bracket.
2. The front portion of the case where the two front intake fans are located also seems very flimsy, but, also feel that the sturdiness will improve after components are installed.
3. Only had two bags of screws included in my case.
4. Wish there was sound dampening on the bottom portion of the case.
5. Wish there was an optional cover for the bottom 120 mm fan (buying the case for silence, so I see every opening as a potential area for noise to escape).
6. Not sure how long the front door will standup. Seems every time I try and open up one side, I inadvertently pop out at least one of the other sides.
7. Wish more of the case was made from steel akin to the P183 rather than plastic (would gladly pay more, but I understand this case is meant to be marketed to 90% of the users out there).
8. The side cover for the optional fans keeps popping off when I remove the side panel.
9. The foam on the left side panel (the one with the optional fans) was not properly applied and around where the optional cover is, was separated from the panel as well as a bulge near the top.

A little background, I've had every high end case from Lian-Li to Cooler Master before finally settling on the P18X series: had every P180 case up to the P183 when I made the mistake of selling the P183 for the P280. Even with my initial concerns, I feel that this is hands down a better case than the P280. Antec dropped the ball with the P280... they made 1 step forward and 2 steps back with regards to noise reduction... I'll have the case built and installed by this evening and will post pictures, movies, and initial impressions (thermal and acoustic) when compared the Antec P280.
 
Although I know this may seem like a minor quibble, I wanted to post a youtube video of my loose GPU panel since Redbeard found the other video useful.

As a point, my Motherboard panel isn't loose at all and does not rattle. Overall fantastic build quality!

http://youtu.be/8V_V1hj1Y7o
 
jcvjcvjcvjcv said:
Ratling side panels, flimsy door, no lock... :(

How thick is the steel of the panels? Can I (145 Lbs) sit on the case? I can sit on easily on my Chieftec CA-01-BL-BL-B; that's made of 1mm steel
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You know, I think you could... the P180 series were built to withstand even my 200lb frame... however, with the 550D, it does have hard rubber/silicone feet that I don't think could take the pressure of your weight. Without the feet, I would say it's possible (though, not recommended).
 
Alright, got everything up and running:

1. Even with the additional wires (PSU, motherboard aux 12 volt, six drives worth of SATA data/power cables, the side panel is still loose.
2. Decreased airflow with the front cover... not sure how effective the angled vents are at minimizing reduced airflow, but they do reduce noise. To compensate, I added another Scythe S-Flex undervolted to 7 volts at the bottom of the case as an intake fan.
3. Quiet... definitely quiet... considering how "light" this case is, exceptionally quiet (again, using H80 w/ Gentle Typhoon AP-15 push/pull on the rear exhaust, 2 NB-12P intake fans (front), 1 Scythe S-Flex undervolted bottom intake fan (in front of the PSU).
4. Wish more of the case was made with whatever metal the front cover is (now, that's sturdy).
5. Area behind HDD cages is a bit tight... again, running 2 SSDs with 4 HDDs, so I have a lot of cables, but an extra 5-7 mm would have been nice
6. HDD trays are surprisingly rigid and well built... look flimsy, but do a great job at securing the HDDs as well as reducing any noise
7. A 3.5" to 5.25" front bay adapter would have been nice to match the factory Corsair plastic.


I'll update with videos/pictures later in the day. Overall, great case with some flaws (as noted). About to run a torture test with Prime / Linpack... will post later with temperature results.

If you guys have any questions, post them and I'll respond throughout the day.
 
Momo said:
guys, are the side panels on this case supposed to 'pop' out when you push the release button, or are you supposed to pull / pry them outward?
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I had to pry the panels outward, while depressing the release buttons. The mobo-side release button somehow seized up during the build process, and it took quite a bit of wrangling to get it to release - couldn't see inside the mechanism, so not sure how it caught, or how it released. Something still isn't right though - I can get the mobo-side panel to release by pressing in on the panel, near the middle.
 
Jaspreet said:
5. Area behind HDD cages is a bit tight... again, running 2 SSDs with 4 HDDs, so I have a lot of cables, but an extra 5-7 mm would have been nice

...

If you guys have any questions, post them and I'll respond throughout the day.
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I would love to see how you routed all those cables. I'm only running two drives, and was struggling with it (then again, I'm a born-again n00b).
 
About the left side panel rattles (the one without fans) I have an idea, your hard drive should come with packing foam why not just put that in the back it should take up enough space not to allow the panel any room to move.
 
Momo said:
guys, are the side panels on this case supposed to 'pop' out when you push the release button, or are you supposed to pull / pry them outward?
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Mine have to be gently tugged on to get them out. Can't tell if it was damage from UPS's treatment or not. My replacement arrives today so maybe I'll find out. I can see how the design would not cause the panel to 'pop' out though. There is nothing special to the design that seems like it is designed to 'push' the panel outwards just enough to get it started.

Rattle said:
My case had all the standoffs already installed including a center one which actually has a smaller diameter and raised area that "centers" the mobo. It fits inside the hole in the middle of the mobo.
I didn't need to install any stand offs but they did include 4 more.
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That center peg is something I have on my 650D as well. You have no idea how much easier getting a motherboard into the case can be when that guide is there. Beats having to fight to hold the board and screw it in like I did with my old Antec 300.

jcvjcvjcvjcv said:
Ratling side panels, flimsy door, no lock... :(
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I am starting to wonder about that door design. The clamps, because either side can be a hinge at any time, have to hold tightly onto the case. As a result the door is more difficult to open that it should be -- and there is a perception that the door is weak (hell, my UPS damaged case's door gives a little when trying to open the case).

Jaspreet said:
Decreased airflow with the front cover... not sure how effective the angled vents are at minimizing reduced airflow, but they do reduce noise. To compensate, I added another Scythe S-Flex undervolted to 7 volts at the bottom of the case as an intake fan.
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That is a bit concerning to me as I am coming out of a negative pressure 650D setup and throwing in the towel with my battle on my apartment's dust. I might toss a fan down on the bottom panel as well just to try and ensure positive pressure.
 
Mysticode said:
I am not even sure what I am looking at here. Is this even a case? :confused:
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This me looking at the GPU side of the case and showing how the front of the panel has a slight "rattle" when I press on it from the inside or outside. This also causes a general rattle when moving the case itself.

The panel on the motherboard side however does NOT have this, and its tight & secure.

Sorry for any confusion. It says n00b in my title for a reason :) haha
 
xenogear74 said:
This me looking at the GPU side of the case and showing how the front of the panel has a slight "rattle" when I press on it from the inside or outside. This also causes a general rattle when moving the case itself.

The panel on the motherboard side however does NOT have this, and its tight & secure.

Sorry for any confusion. It says n00b in my title for a reason :) haha
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You're the first person I've read about who doesn't have the rattling problem on the motherboard side of the case -- and also the first I've read that has the rattles on the "GPU side" of the case. (On a related note, is there a more logical name for that side panel?)
 
night_2004 said:
That is a bit concerning to me as I am coming out of a negative pressure 650D setup and throwing in the towel with my battle on my apartment's dust. I might toss a fan down on the bottom panel as well just to try and ensure positive pressure.
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Again, with the additional intake at the bottom, I don't think getting a positive pressure setup should be too difficult. If you're using traditional HDDs (as I am, in addition to SSDs), I think some of the benefits of having front intake fans are going to be negated since the fans will be pushing air over the HDDs, therefore warming the air before it enters in the case.

Also, I know we're not pushing air over radiators, but high static pressure fans might be beneficial for the front due to the fact that you're first pulling air from narrow vents along the case and a dust filter as well.

However, with the additional intake at the bottom, you now have a source of fresh air. I've been running Prime95 for the past 7 hours and I only notice a 3-4 degree difference b/w open case and closed case, so I'm happy with my setup (except for the damn noise that the H80 makes... it's my 4th one!).

Again, I'll post pictures, screenshots, videos, etc. later tonight.


Again, my positive pressure setup is as follows:

Intake:
1 Scythe S-Flex SFF21E bottom intake fan undervolted to 7 volts, approx 1000 RPM (silent)
2 NB-Multiframe M12-P front intakes (controlled via motherboard)

Exhaust: Two Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP-15s in a push/pull configuration mounted in the rear of the case
 
Yeah I guess I was confused by the "GPU side" comment. Thanks for the clarification!

I can't wait until these little bits are fixed and a revision SKU is made (psst, offer a black front I/O panel option! :D)
 
My copy seems to have the same issues as many mentioned here.
  • Right-hand panel rattles
  • Left-hand panel is sunken in, not flush with the top panel edge
  • Front door requires two hands to open, unless I want to shift/tip the case
Been busy, and not all parts are here yet, so I haven't looked into it more closely than that so far.
 
I received my 2nd Corsair 550D and have had a little while to compare and contrast. So far here are all my comments (sorry for the long winded post but I hope it gets discussion rolling that helps Corsair out).

When I am comparing parts between both cases the parts marked in GREEN are the first case I received (and potentially damaged by UPS) and the parts marked in BLUE are the second case that I received today.

LEFT PANEL

This first picture was the initial hint I received that something was wrong with my 550D. The corner of the left panel was bent outwards a bit (see section circled in green). The new left panel that arrived today is perfectly square.
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To add injury to injury, the panel was also bent inwards. This is why my fingernail would "catch" when running the panel from the back towards the front. The first case's panel has a noticeable bend, the second case's panel is ever so slightly bent
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UPS might have dinged the case and here's some more evidence. The leading edge of the panel was dented badly.
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Aside from one of the hinge clamp things being broken on arrival on the first case, these are the only things I can attribute at this time to UPS. In the last few days other posts and information from Redbeard have helped me resolve most/all my other concerns.

Both panels, near the fan "window", show some warping as evidenced by the discoloration shown in this image. It is very difficult to capture on camera so I had to play with the light fixtures a bit to finally get it to show up. It is easy to see with the naked eye. You can also see how the fan "windows" are ever so slightly bent upwards as well -- this is common in both cases as well. When you run a fingernail over the area that shows this wave pattern that is a result of the metal itself having a slight wave effect. It doesn't affect the functionality or structural integrity but it is worth noting.
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RIGHT PANEL

This is the panel that most people have reported rattling. The first case (green) has a lot more give to it than the second (blue) however both do exhibit some rattling. Each panel can be "pulled out" a little more than it should be as shown in the image. What is interesting here is that when I swap the panels between the cases the end result does not change -- the first chassis always has the same amount of "give." This suggests that the rattling problem is associated with the chassis and not the side panel. I took these two images at as close to the same angle as possible. It isn't perfect but it's close enough that the magnitude of difference between the two chassis is depicted well.
Image

NOISE DAMPING FOAM

The foam, as many have stated before, is high quality stuff. However it appears its application may be a bit inconsistent across different units. In the second image you can see an ever-so-slight "mountain" of foam running vertically downward from the bottom left corner of the "window" circled in blue (it can also be seen running downward from the bottom right corner of the same "window" but that is not shown in the picture). It is a significant bump in the otherwise smooth application and accounts for why the foam is not stretched all the way to the leading edge as shown in the first picture.
Image
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FRONT PANEL

The new case (green) has four 5.25" covers, two of which can be easily knocked out of place by tapping it with your finger. The bottom two are not really stable, the top two are fine. When I use any combination of covers in either case only these two 5.25" slots in that chassis do not hang onto the bay covers.
Image

It appears the plastic is *barely* warped along the right edge of those covers. You can only see it when you put it up to a straight edge, and this was the only portable straight edge I could find at the time. No steel ruler, sorry. You can also see more light getting through on the bottom two covers as compared to the top cover.
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This might have been UPS caused damage much like one of the hinges being broken on the first case, but the front I/O panel was scratched up quite nicely on the first case as well. The only reason I saw it was because I was going over every inch of this case looking for anything to report.
Image

I would agree that the door is needlessly difficult to open. Both cases feel about the same -- one of these days I'll probably end up breaking the front if the clamps don't loosen up a bit.

HARD DRIVE CAGES

Another concerning thing to note, and I don't have an image for it, is that the hard drive cages that came with the first chassis are really, really loose. Loose enough that with only a little manipulation you can rattle the drive inserts. Sometimes those inserts even fall out. This is not happening with the second set of hard drive cages.

CONCLUSION

Both cases are really solid, save for what I mentioned. Ultimately I'm going to be combining the best of both cases (first chassis, first front panel, second side panels, second set of drive cages) as best I can. It won't be perfect but it'll get me through until Corsair gets spare parts to replace the rattling lock mechanism and the foam on the not-bent-up-panel that I have to keep.

I was planning on buying another case soon for my home file server but I'm going to wait until spare parts are available at Corsair to buy it from Amazon (and hopefully get another rebate).
 
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Whoa! Nice analysis night_2004! Also, just as I was about to give up on the 550D, Amazon sent me an email updating the order today :D (an hour or so back in fact)! They now have stock of the 550D and apparently it will be shipped on Monday (for me).

Just a question to Redbeard. This case will be shipped to me in Australia. If there are any issue with it (I really hope not x_x!), would there be any possibility of getting fixes/remedies through Corsair, or would I be doomed D:?
 
Now for the question on all our minds, will we get the $20 mail in rebate if we buy it form Amazon.com?
 
When I started work on swapping a few components I ended up completely taking apart one of the cases. There are a few more interesting bits of information that I think Corsair is going to want to look at. Most of these images are from taking the case apart that arrived today, intact, without apparent UPS damage, unless noted.

REMOVING HARD DRIVE CAGES

At just about any step in taking apart the case, the drive cages got in the way. So out they come. Remove all the screws circled. The last image shows two screws that were particularly difficult to remove -- the screws were inserted into the case at a slight angle.
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When I started swapping the drive cages around I discovered something that Corsair should be very interested in. The cage on the right is one taken from the non-UPS-molested case, and the one on the left from the original case that was potentially damaged by UPS. Note that you are seeing this correctly, and the right cage is not square and is bent fairly well. This is why that screw was at an angle -- the cage was bent up. Both cages were bent at a similar angle. I tried to bend them back but I did not want to risk breaking them so they're still a little off.
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Both of these cages were from the case that UPS might have damaged. Note the tabs on one was bent up. Can't be sure if this was caused by UPS given that other cages were bent up.
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REMOVING FRONT PANEL

I will not lie -- taking this off of the case is a pain in the ass. You'll need a long shafted screw driver with a very small Philips head. There are six screws holding the front to the chassis that are protected by some sort of shell. As far as I can tell these are used to either help in the assembly process as it helps align the screws when putting it all back together. They might be used to help strengthen the screws too. Can't tell.

There are three on each side. The top one on each side are a serious pain with all the other hardware in the way.
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The front panel was still not coming out. The feet are in the way, so remove the two screws holding each foot to the front panel.
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The front panel just falls right out. I was going to stop there and swap the front panels before packing everything up, but then I noticed that the front I/O panel could be easily removed. The panel is a simple piece of plastic and, for those interested, I believe it could be painted to the color of your choice.
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REMOVING THE TOP PANEL

What the heck, I've already got the rest of the case taken apart so why not try and see if I can fix the rattling panel problem. Ultimately I had to start by removing the front I/O panel which requires taking the front panel off. Notice the leads for a firewire port -- looks like Corsair decided to omit that feature in the final version.
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After that it was only a matter of taking off the rest of the screws around the top. The first two are behind the front I/O panel. Notice that this leaves parts of the 5.25" bay and motherboard tray unsupported. If you have hardware in the case when you do this I'm not sure how the case would react. With a heavy CPU heatsink you might want a friend standing by to support the motherboard.
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At that point the top panel came right off. Sorry I forgot to take a picture. After taking out select components from the other case and swapping parts around, I put everything back together. The rattling was still there :(. It appears that it isn't a problem with faulty assembly -- some part in the chassis just isn't manufactured correctly.

CONCLUSIONS

All in all this case is a very solid design. There are a few stupid bits of the design namely having to remove the front panel to take the top panel off. But when Corsair does resolve the rattling issue it seems logical to assume complete disassembly of your computer will not be necessary in order to swap out any affected components.
 
OK, so night_2004 deserved a medal before, now he deserves a really big medal :p good job man!!

...

couldn't care less about the MIR.

I'm of half a mind not to do the MIR, out of spite.. but isnt that what the MIR company is banking on? d'oh!

MIR's: what a LAME business practice, by all involved, the e-tailer, the manufacturer, and the rebate house.
 
With any luck I can actually spend time building a system tomorrow :)p) but thanks for your kind words. If there's anything else you guys want me to check out between the two cases let me know soon (really soon if you don't want pictures of computer components blocking the view of the chassis). I plan on dropping off the return unit tomorrow night at UPS.

Redbeard -- the two 550D boxes were actually in about the same shape when they were delivered. Both had similar damage (namely a tear along the leading edge of the box that parallels the edge of the case corresponding to the left edge of the front panel and the front edge of the left panel). Only in the first box did the damage penetrate the inner hull of the box (I'll try and post pictures tomorrow -- camera battery is too low). I'd guess 50/50 chance that UPS was the cause of that side panel being dented the way it was.
 
Can someone measure exact distance from CPU cover to the side panel?

Got no idea why corsair didn't list max CPU cooler height in specs of their cases.
 
OverZerg said:
Can someone measure exact distance from CPU cover to the side panel?

Got no idea why corsair didn't list max CPU cooler height in specs of their cases.
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I'm not home currently, but a Noctua NH-D14 fit with some room to spare.
 
varione, that's a good news, but I planned to use Thermalright Archon, which is 170mm tall (vs 160mm D14)
 
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